Saving lives through vehicle safety

Margaret Peden

doi:10.1016/s2214-109x(20)30189-3

Abstract

Saving lives through vehicle safety

Highlights

In the first two decades of the 21st century, more than 25 million people lost their lives to road traffic collisions—approximately 1·35 million per year or a death rate of 18·2 per 100 000 population.[1]
The safe systems approach, sometimes referred to as vision zero, recognises that humans are fallible and promotes a shared responsibility between road users, vehicles, and infrastructure to ensure a high level of safety.[4]
Vehicle safety technology plays an important role in reducing trauma from road traffic crashes[5,6] and was recognised in the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety global plan as pillar 3—safer vehicles.[7]

Summary

Introduction

In the first two decades of the 21st century, more than 25 million people lost their lives to road traffic collisions—approximately 1·35 million per year or a death rate of 18·2 per 100 000 population.[1]. In the first two decades of the 21st century, more than 25 million people lost their lives to road traffic collisions—approximately 1·35 million per year or a death rate of 18·2 per 100 000 population.[1] During the same time period the number of vehicles in circulation has steadily increased to well above the 2 billion mark, with death rates per 100 000 vehicles declining from 135 to 64 while rates per 100 000 population have remained static.[1] These figures show that some small improvements have been possible, but much more action is required if we are to make progress towards to the new 50 by 30 target (an extension of Sustainable Development Goal 3.6) called for by ministers who attended the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference in Stockholm (Sweden) in February, 2020.2

Results

Conclusion